Historical note:

            After the death of Rowland Hazard II (1829-1898), his estate was managed privately by family members, with son Rowland G. Hazard II taking a particularly active role in trying to liquidate the large and diverse holdings. After Rowland G. suffered a heart attack in 1915, it was decided to incorporate the estate and pay dividends to its stockholders. R. Hazard Estate, Inc. was incorporated in 1917 by three of Rowland Hazard II's children: Rowland G. Hazard II, Caroline Hazard and Helen (Hazard) Bacon. The other two heirs were Margaret (Hazard) Fisher and the estate of Frederick R. Hazard, who also received shares. Though some of the estate was distributed outright among the heirs at that point, most was consolidated into the corporation.

            The corporation's assets consisted mainly of real estate, stocks and bonds, and included land throughout southern Rhode Island, as well as a small amount of property formerly owned by the Hudson Highland Bridge Company in New York. It maintained a controlling interest in both the Providence Warehouse Company and the American Fish Culture Company. The corporation was also involved in the support of the Hazard Memorial Trust, which maintained a public building in Peace Dale. The offices were in the family headquarters of Peace Dale, R.I. The corporation was fully liquidated in 1950, by which time many of Rowland Hazard II's grandchildren had already deceased.

            Ozias C. Goodwin served as the first secretary/treasurer of the corporation until his death in 1921. He was succeeded by John R. Carpenter, who served until its dissolution in 1950, and managed all of its daily functions. Both of these men also had additional responsibilities in the Hazard family businesses. An assistant secretary/treasurer was also paid by the corporation, and office cleaning personnel were employed on a semi-regular basis. Temporary labor was also employed for improvements on the corporation's properties.

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Scope and content:

            This collection consists mostly of correspondence and financial records of the R. Hazard Estate, Inc. The records generated by the unincorporated estate of Rowland Hazard between 1898 and 1917 can be found in Subgroup 6, the Rowland Hazard II Papers.

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Provenance:

            These papers were donated by the Hazard family as part of the Hazard Family Papers in 1985. They had been deposited in 1975 and 1983.

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Processing note:

            This collection is part of the Hazard Family Papers, which were processed with support from the Rhode Island Committee for the Humanities, the Beinecke Foundation, and the extended Hazard Family.

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Inventory:

Series 1: Corporate records

Box 1, folder 1. Articles of incorporation, 1917.

Incorporation, by-laws, settlement agreement of estate of Rowland Hazard.

Box 1, folder 2. Minutes, 1917-1928. Includes directors and stockholders. Unbound.

Box 1, folder 3. Minutes, 1928-1946. Includes directors and stockholders. Bound.

Box 1, folder 4. Minutes, 1946-1949. Incomplete draft minutes.

Box 1, folder 5. Agreements, 1917-1950

Box 1, folder 6. Deeds and leases - Narragansett, R.I., 1919-1950

Box 1, folder 7. Deeds and leases - South Kingstown, R.I., 1917-1951

Box 1, folder 8. Deeds and leases - Miscellaneous, 1921-1931

Box 1, folder 9. Stock certificates, 1918-1950

Box 1, folder 10. Stock transfer book, 1917-1945

Series 2: Correspondence

Most of the correspondence from the 1920s was found arranged in alphabetical letter files. This arrangement has been retained for the most part. Most of the letters were to or from John R. Carpenter as secretary of the corporation. Some are from Rowland Hazard III's files as president, and are noted as such. Very little correspondence was found for the 1930s.

Box 1, folder 11. 1917

Box 1, folder 12. 1918-1919, Caroline E. (Newbold) Porter estate

Box 1, folder 13. 1918-1919, miscellaneous

Box 1, folder 14. 1920-1929, American Fish Culture

Box 1, folder 15. 1920-1929, Anna Hazard Land Company

Box 1, folder 16. 1920-1929, Anthony's Nose / Hudson River Bridge Co.

Box 1, folder 17. 1920-1929, Anthony's Nose, maps of (found with correspondence)

Box 1, folder 18. 1920-1929, Bacon family

Box 1, folder 19. 1926-1929, Bobolink House rentals

Box 1, folder 20. 1920-1929, B, misc.

Box 1, folder 21. 1920-1929, Cranston St. property

Box 1, folder 22. 1920-1929, C, misc.

Box 1, folder 23. 1920-1929, D-G, misc.

Box 1, folder 24. 1920-1929, Great Swamp land (from Rowland Hazard's file)

Box 1, folder 25. 1920-1929, Great Swamp land

Box 1, folder 26. 1920-1921, Hazard family

Box 1, folder 27. 1922-1923, Hazard family

Box 1, folder 28. 1923-1925, Hazard family

Box 1, folder 29. 1925-1927, Hazard family

Box 1, folder 30. 1920-1929, Hazard Memorial Trust

Box 1, folder 31. 1920-1929, Hazard, Rowland (President's correspondence)

Box 1, folder 32. 1920-1929, H-M, misc.

Box 1, folder 33. 1920-1929, N-P, misc.

Box 1, folder 34. 1920-1929, Narragansett Improvement Association

Box 1, folder 35. 1920-1929, Narragansett Pier Railroad

Box 1, folder 36. 1920-1929, New York, New Haven & Hartford RR - Fire claim, 1924

Box 1, folder 37. 1920-1929, Providence Dry Dock and Marine Railway

Box 1, folder 38. 1920-1929, Providence Gas Company

Box 1, folder 39. 1920-1929, Providence Warehouse Company

Box 1, folder 40. 1920-1929, Providence Washington Insurance Company

Box 1, folder 41. 1920-1929, R-S, misc.

Box 1, folder 42. 1920-1929, T-Z, misc.

Box 1, folder 43. 1920-1929, Tench & Terry

Box 1, folder 44. 1922-1937, re Isaac P. Hazard 

Box 1, folder 45. 1930-1933 (no letters 1934)

Box 1, folder 46. 1935-1939

Box 1, folder 47. 1937-1938, Great Swamp land (includes T.F. Green letter, June 23, 1938)

Box 1, folder 48. 1940-1942

Box 1, folder 49. 1943-1945

Box 2, folder 1. 1945-1949, Great Swamp land

Box 2, folder 2. 1946-1947

Box 2, folder 3. 1948-1949

Box 2, folder 4. 1950

Box 2, folder 5. 1951-1953

Oversized volume 1. Letter book, 1916-1923

Oversized volume 2. Letter book, 1923-1929

Oversized volume 3. Letter book, 1930-1933

Series 3: Financial records

Series 3, subseries 1: Account books

Box 2, folder 6. Ledger, 1917-1950

Box 2, folder 7. Ledger, 1917-1940 (closed accounts)

Box 2, folder 8. Journal, 1917-1950

Box 2, folder 9. Cash journal draft, 1917-1918

Series 3, subseries 2: Bank accounts. In volumes. Accounts with R.I. Hospital Trust.

Box 2, folder 10. 1917-1928

Box 2, folder 11. 1928-1934

Box 2, folder 12. 1934-1940

Box 2, folder 13. 1940-1947

Box 2, folder 14. 1948-1950

Series 3, subseries 3: Balance sheets. Includes annual balance sheets and typed summaries.

Box 2, folder 15. 1917-1938, 1945-1947

Series 3, subseries 4: Receipts.

Incomplete files of receipted bills. Originally in alphabetical subject files; this order is maintained to some extent.

Box 2, folder 16. 1917-1922, casual labor

Box 2, folder 17. 1917-1922, Hazard Memorial Trust

Box 2, folder 18. 1917-1922, J.C. Tucker (construction & building supplies)

Box 2, folder 19. 1917-1922, A-N, misc.

Box 2, folder 20. 1917-1922, O-Z, misc.

Box 2, folder 21. 1923-1927

Box 2, folder 22. 1939-1940

Series 3, subseries 5: Taxes and reports.

Box 2, folder 23. Affiliated corporations questionnaires, 1917-1920

Box 2, folder 24. Federal capital stock returns, 1918-1944

Box 2, folder 25. Federal corporate reports, 1937-1945

Oversized Box 6, folder 5. Federal income tax returns, 1918-1950.

Box 3, folder 1. Rhode Island corporate reports, 1921-1945

Box 3, folder 2. Rhode Island income tax returns, 1918-1939

Box 3, folder 3. Rhode Island income tax returns, 1940-1950

Series 3, subseries 6: Miscellaneous financial records

Box 3, folder 4. Dividend notices, 1923-1950.

Box 3, folder 5. Inventories, 1917-1948. Stocks held, real estate, notes due.

Box 3, folder 6. Payroll records, 1937-1951. Payroll summaries for treasurers, officers, etc.

Box 3, folder 7. Receipt book, 1916-1919. For money collected, mostly rent and mortgages. Box 3, folder 8. Treasurer's statements, 1922-1945. Memoranda, statements of surplus.

Series 4: Miscellaneous.

Box 3, folder 9. Complaint, U.S. Spruce Production Corporation et al, 1923-1924

Box 3, folder 10. Lists of securities held by Hazard family, 1917-1950

Box 3, folder 11. Share of stock, McKenna Process Company (deemed worthless)

              Certification of Caroline Hazard as executrix of Rowland Hazard estate, 1928

              Sales slips for International Business Machine stock, 1944

              Memorandum of "The Pines", 1922

              Memorandum re "Bobolink House", 1943

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Subjects:

Carpenter, John R. (1874-1950)

Goodwin, Ozias C. (1850-1921)

Great Swamp (South Kingstown, R.I.)

Green, Theodore F. (1867-1966)

Hazard, Rowland II (1829-1898)

Hazard, Rowland III (1881-1945)

Hazard Memorial Trust

Hudson Highland Bridge and Railway Company

International Business Machine, Inc.

South Kingstown, R.I. - Buildings, structures, etc.

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RIHS1822